Europe

Visit historically important cities, towns and cultural sites in the homelands of many great explorers

Published 11/08/2015

Nansen, Amundsen, Shackleton, Scott, Nordenskiöld and Cagni. Several of the great polar explorers came from Europe, where the coastline offers great diversity in climate, culture and people.

South to north

You will experience almost the entire Atlantic coastline. Hurtigruten's southernmost port is Cadiz, Spain, and the northernmost disembarkation for European sailing (as distinct from Hurtigruten Coastal Norway) is Tromsø, the Gateway to the Arctic. Along the route you will find the richest historic settings in the northern hemisphere and discover hidden pearls of the Norwegian coastline.

UNESCO Word Heritage sites

In the south, we visit a number of UNESCO World Heritage sites, including old Spanish and Portuguese ports. Ancient churches and castles give evidence of the strong feudal traditions that governed European life, until the birth of the national states during the late medieval period.

French and British culture merge in the English Channel, while the ports of Germany, the BeNeLux countries and the Baltics offer a mix of urban communities and rural settlements.

Cultural and natural variety

With Hurtigruten, you can choose from spring expedition sailings along the Atlantic coast and the Norwegian coastline, as well as crossings that take you from Bergen to Casablanca, Morocco, from Casablanca to Fortaleza in Brazil and from Fortaleza to Montevideo, Uruguay.

Take in the feel of old capitals like Lisbon, the distinctive traditional Spanish ports, the jet-set aura of the British Channel Islands and the urbanity of Amsterdam. Continuing north on an explorer voyage takes you to Norwegian coastal communities otherwise ignored by the major cruise lines. Here you get to know the locals, taste their food and listen to their stories. You can experience small islands and rich animal life from a kayak or a fisherman's boat.